Things are quiet because the Bulls really aren't in a position to do much. They want to keep the core together, which is smart. They don't need to make a splash, since they just won 62 games. But, the Bulls can make themselves better on draft night.

I don't think the Bulls are foolish enough to part with Noah for Odom. Where would Odom fit on this roster?

But I do like any talk that surrounds Shannon Brown. I talked a lot about him last year, and thought the Bulls should give him a look at the end of FA. He's developed into a really good shooter, plays solid defense and has good ball handling skills. He's a free

Today I participated in a mock draft with Slam Dunk Central. SDC was nice enough to let me play GM for the Chicago Bulls. The other writers were GM's for their respective teams. Thanks to SDC for letting me write up a few words on the Bulls picks. They have a real nice site. Go check it out here.

My picks were different - everyone that I thought the Bulls might take was gone, with the exception of Jimmy Butler. Interestingly enough, the Bulls did work out Butler once in Chicago.

I don't have any inside information on the draft, but I do like one thing Gar Forman said about the process. He stressed taking the best player available, and I completely agree. Even though the NBA has a smaller pool of players, I disagree with drafting for need. At this point, we all know the Bulls needs are 2G, 2G, 2G.

Back in 2009, the Bulls selected James Johnson in the first round. Jrue Holiday was rated the better player by everyone, but the Bulls had Derrick Rose, reigning Rookie of the Year. We basically moved down 15 picks, two years later instead of taking Holiday. Even if the Bulls couldn't use Holiday, you could move him for a need.

So that brings us to now, and the Bulls haven't traded up. I wouldn't mind trading up to get anyone that falls. Word is that Kemba Walker is falling in the lottery. If the Bulls can trade up and take him, do it. Forget about the issue that Walker is small and probably a point guard at this level - you take him, play him off the bench, and trade him later for a starting shooting guard.

After a tough exit in the Eastern Conference Finals, the Bulls management is back at it looking at talent for the upcoming year. We've profiled what the team needs - Shooting guard, stretch four, backup SF - but a lot has changed since the first post we wrote.

Let's look at shooting guard first. SG's that will be off the board by pick 28 are - Klay Thompson, Alec Burks and Marshon Brooks. It's not a deep 2G class. So who are the legit options for the Bulls?

SG - Charles Jenkins - SR. HofstraJenkins, a four-year star at Hofstra, absolutely exploded his last two seasons. He averaged 22.6 points per game on 51.7% shooting, 42% from three and 82% from the line as a senior. The 6'3'' 220 lb New York product can score, and has the jumper that the Bulls could use. He does most of his damage by creating his own shot, but that's a product of the Hofstra offense and his competition. He has a quick first step, and creates a lot of space for shots. One thing he might lack is the explosiveness, but that's because he looks under control for the most part. Defensively, he is undersized, but at 220, he could develop the strength to help himself out.

SG/SF - Tyler Honeycutt - SO. UCLA The first thing you notice about Honeycutt is that he has the body type of Kevin Durant. Unfortunately, that's the only thing you can compare to Durant. Honeycutt is still a little raw, but has so many tools and skills that the Bulls would be foolish to pass on him. The skill that will attract the Bulls is his defense. At 6'8'' with a long wingspan, Honeycutt can get his hand in passing lanes and helps him block shots. He led the Pac-10 in blocks this season, and rebounds really well at his position. Honeycutt has great form on his jumper, and with time and practice, he'll become more consistent. The issues come from his A/T ratio, which is 2.8 to 3.0. Also, his ball handling leaves a lot to be desired. He won't break anyone's ankles. He's more of a slasher/spot-up player than an isolation player. I think Honeycutt can contribute right away, but I think he's has a higher ceiling than Jenkins.

Now let's look at some stretch forwards. In a dream scenario, the Bulls take Honeycutt and then Nikola Vucevic. Vucevic is having a great camp, so he's probably not going to be around. So we'll look at others that the Bulls have been linked to.

PF - Justin Harper - SR. RichmondIt might be too strong to call him a poor man's Derrick Williams, but that's what he played like in college. The senior improved all four years at Richmond, and became a strong NBA prospect when he developed a consistent outside shot. Harper shot 45% from deep, while averaging 18 points per game. Harper is fluid, can handle the ball, and moves around the floor like a guard. He's been compared to Durant, but in a way that he does everything for his college team. Oh, and he's 4% body fat. I think he's being severly underrated in this draft, and if the Bulls can nab him, it would be a great pick. If Chicago loves Taj Gibson, they'll love Justin Harper.

PF - JaJuan Johnson - SR. PurdueI wasn't a big fan of Johnson until his senior year, when him and Moore carried the Boilermakers to the tournament and to a 3-seed. He added a mid-range jumper, improved his free throw shooting, added bulk and started to take over games. He's similar to Taj in that you don't throw it to him in the post, but he can spread the floor. Defensively, he's a lot like Taj - he can block shots. Unlike Taj, I question Johnson's toughness. If he doesn't get more physical, he will be a liability on the glass. He's not a good enough shooter to sit on the perimeter, either. Still, he would give the Bulls another dimension.

The NBA holds the draft on June 23, 2011. Hopefully it's not filled with lockout talk like the NFL draft was this year.

There are plenty of reasons as to why the NBA is absolute shit. I'll list some of them. Feel free to add your own.

1. Dancing - It's everywhere. LeBron James dancing on the sideline, dancing after he makes a shot, dancing on stage with Chris Bosh and Dwyane Wade on their introduction to Miami. It's nuts. It's not cool, you look like an asshole. And don't use some bullshit that "they can do whatever they want, because they're that good." No they can't. They still look like assholes. And if you like it, Dancing with the Stars - ABC at 8 ET. Even Michelle Obama thinks dancing is part of the goddamn sport! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nI3y9jH8FXY

3. Officiating - The referees single handedly are altering the series. The game is NOT called the same for every player. The fact that you can say "(Insert Superstar) has earned those calls over the years," is a joke. The game should be called fair for both teams. It clearly hasn't been in the Bulls Heat series. Noah's charge on Haslem, Boozer's finishes inside, Derrick not getting calls at the rim (BUT HE'S THE MVP, ISN'T HE SUPPOSED TO GET CALLS?) Over and over, the Bulls had to play five on nine - Heat plus the refs and Stern.

4. David Stern - He's Vince McMahon Jr. Honestly, he controls every game. I know sports are a business, and for me even to think that's not true is my fault. I shouldn't be that naive and neither should you. The NBA has put Good vs. Evil in this playoffs. The Bulls are everything that is great about sports. Humble players, leaders on and off the court, as well as a great coach. The Evil are the Heat, the team that came together to win 7 championships. Game 1 got 11.5 million viewers. Games 2, 3 and 4 got similar numbers. The longer you keep the Heat in the series and in the playoffs, the longer people are going to watch and be interested. So keep the game within the Heat's reach and you're in good shape. Game 2's second quarter, and all of game 4 were so incredibly one-sided.

What David Stern doesn't realize is that his ass is going to lose a LOT of fans after this playoffs. The NBA was back, and he took control. Now look at it? A lot of people are going to go back to watching other things, like Dancing with the Stars. Just as fixed, same story lines. I hope they lock out next year just so he can't get his greedy fucking hands on any of his money. What a fool.

5. LeBron James - Who really refers to themselves as the King? "What should I do?" I think you should go fuck yourself, LeBron.

Well, since Carl couldn’t get us a W in Game 3, I’m back. It’s the biggest game of the season so we’re trotting our Ace out there for HTTH. Just kidding. But seriously.

The Bulls are going to win tonight, boys and girls. Usually I let the suspense build before finally revealing my selection at the bottom of the thread. Sometimes I even throw you a bit of a curveball like in Game 2. Not this time. The Bulls win. Joakim plays better, Derrick plays better, we shoot the ball better, and Chris Bosh plays a lot worse.

I’ve got to think the Stern factor will be working for us tonight too. I don’t like to ever blame the officials, and to make it clear I’m not doing that here, but I thought Miami got the majority of the calls in Game 2 and 3. That being said, we still played very poorly, and didn’t deserve to win either game, but I said what I said. Tonight the Bulls are going to get the calls. The Mavs also deserve a big pound and explode from us for the way they came back against Oklahoma City last night. Winning 2 in a row in Oklahoma City means that series is done in 5. There is no way that Stern wants to short series in the Conference Finals, especially when he was a great matchup with the MVP of the league going against the Big 3. We get the calls tonight. That doesn’t mean that we’ll win, but it helps. That being said, we’re not going to win tonight because we’re getting the calls. We’re going to win tonight because we outplay the Miami Heat.

Stat of the Day:

The Bulls haven’t lost 3 games in a row all season

Probable Miami Starters:

G – Mike Bibby, 3.8 PPG

G – D’Wayne Wade, 24.7 PPG

F – Lebron James, 25.2 PPG

F – Chris Bosh, 18.2 PPG

C – Joel Anthony, 3.5 PPG

Probable Chicago Starters:

G – Derrick Rose, 27.6 PPG

G – Keith Bogans, 5.1 PPG

F – Luol Deng, 16.6 PPG

F – Carlos Boozer, 12.6 PPG

C – Joakim Noah, 9.1 PPG

Prediction:

Current Line: Miami (-5), Over/Under 179

The Bulls are going to play a lot better tonight. Joakim is going to go for 10 and 15 while using whatever slurs he pleases. Luol Deng is going to score 20. Derrick Rose is going to find his rhythm with a lot of help from his teammates who are going to knock down shots off of his assists. The defense will be a lot better tonight too. Chris Bosh will come down to earth and Miami will have to work for every bucket.

Game 2 has been a bit of a sore subject for those in Horns To The Hardwood's inner circle, but we're hardly calling the defeat a sign of the rapture (sorry loyal readership on the day's late reference). In spite of the stomping dispensed in the series opener, most believed that Chicago was in for a real fight with Miami, even the most devoted Bulls fans and followers. The difficulty of the task was evident in Chicago's 85-75 defeat Wednesday night. Miami clamped down the defense late in the 4th, Chicago missed a number of heartbreaking rim outs, the whistles returned, and the breaks Chicago caught game 1 seemed to go Miami's way game 2 in some sort of karmic balancing act. Sort of.

Wednesday's contest was the kind of game that Chicago would have won in the first round against Indiana, which lulled me and others into a false sense of security. They showed well in the first quarter which was capped off by Luol Deng's scintillating half court shot. After that, it wasn't a night and day drop off in performance on defense or effort, but merely incremental breakdowns. Chicago still played their typical brand of basketball on defense, while Miami's offense was much the same throughout. There were times when Chicago's defense looked the strongest we've seen this post season. In spite of 9 more trips to the foul line, Miami still only scored 3 more points - its not as though they ever ran away and hid with their offensive production. Whatever steps Wade and James took in offensive production were given back by Bosh's relatively small 10 point effort. Chicago simply didn't hit shots. Low post scoring did not happen in the same kind of regularity or efficiency, the Bulls posted a miserable 61% effort from the foul line, and the 3's didn't fall. Part of it was poor luck, much of it was timely defending by Miami, including a critical double team on Luol in the 4th. Spoelstra deserves a cookie for playing LeBron on Rose. The lane wasn't as open for Derrick, and the outside shooting he deferred to wasn't clicking. Likewise Udonis Haslem went from throw-in scrub to impact bench player, contributing 13 and 5 in an unexpected 23 minute relief appearance while providing the kind of spark Taj Gibson gave the Bulls earlier in the series. Give credit where it is due; Miami played enough defense to earn the victory. Still, I can't help but feel that if Chicago and Miami both play with that kind of effort and focus 7 times, Chicago wins 4.

Now Chicago finds itself on the road with the task of taking back home court advantage. Miami's crowd is notoriously sporadic, so it will be interesting to see what kind of energy and vibe is in the arena tonight. Bulls fans have traveled well throughout this year; will Miami's crowd be "late arriving" per Reggie Miller's assessment throughout the year, or will they clamp down with the so-called "White Out"? Likewise, which Boozer is Chicago getting, and just how healthy is he with this toe injury? He's had moments where his jumper is on, and he put together a pair of solid performances dating back to game 6 in Atlanta, but its clear that he's not the strong presence we signed him to be down low right now. Whether that is due to health, age, or player psychology remains to be seen, but flaws or not, Chicago plays better when he's a double digit scorer, and needs more 18+ point efforts from him going forward. Furthermore, Korver is due to rekindle some of the magic we saw from him in the first round. Eventually his rim outs will start to fall. We just can't afford that eventuality to be 2-3 more games down the road. The defense will be there, and this team's demeanor is such that they'll take Miami's best shots, whether its driving the lane or trying to run the floor with flashy oop plays. Its time to start hitting shots, and take some of the load off of Rose and Deng, who are showing signs of wearing down.

Stat of the Day:

Chicago avoided being called for a defensive three second violation Wednesday night, snapping an 8 game streak.

Probable Miami Starters:

G – Mike Bibby, 3.6 PPG

G – D’Wayne Wade, 25.3 PPG

F – Lebron James, 25.4 PPG

F – Chris Bosh, 16.9 PPG

C – Joel Anthony, 3.5 PPG

Probable Chicago Starters:

G – Derrick Rose, 28.2 PPG

G – Keith Bogans, 5.2 PPG

F – Luol Deng, 16.8 PPG

F – Carlos Boozer, 11.6 PPG

C – Joakim Noah, 9.8 PPG

Prediction:

Current Line: Chicago (+4.5), Over/Under at 178.5

Somehow, I expect Miami to try and intimidate Chicago again by running the court early, and again I expect it to fail. They'll get a couple easy buckets, but Chicago is too sound and too rested to get burned physically or mentally. Thibs really seems to have this group plugged into the team concept more than Miami, and I expect Chicago's field goal percentage to have a 4 in front instead of a 3 thanks to ball movement and better luck with the rim. I'll push conspiracy theories aside when discussing why the Western Conference finals crammed two games in between the East's and instead be thankful for the rest for #1 and #9 in particular. Don't have a particularly strong conviction in this one. Gut feeling is a "L" thanks to home court and a greater sense of universal entropy/story writing, brain tells me this is the kind of game Chicago wins. Expect this one to be the closest game yet, and the physicality to take another step.

Well Game 1 went just about as well as we could have hoped for, right? That game was an absolute joy to watch. After a jittery start the team settled down and played a great game. We landed a couple of nice jabs in the second and third quarters before delivering the knockout blow in the 4th quarter.

Not to toot my own horn too much, but they really executed on my keys to the series. I said that we had to limit the turnovers to avoid fast break buckets for Miami. Well, after a free early turnovers from Derrick he really settled in nicely and took care of the ball. Secondly, I thought we had to win the rebounding battles consistently. Well, as simple glance at the Stat of the Day (yes we have one this time) tells us that we dominated on the offensive glass. I was a little nervous about this one in the first half when we gave up a few second chance buckets, but we sure dominated the glass in the second half. Third, I said we our bench had to show up. I think it’s safe to say they did. Taj Gibson was trending on twitter for a reason. Lastly, I said we had to put the pressure on Miami by winning Game 1. Well, not only did they win but they won by 21 points. Now the Heat have to think about that for two days. How will they respond?

If Lebron and Wade have any kind of heart at all they’re going to come after us with everything they have in Game 2 after getting embarrassed on Sunday night. I mentioned in an earlier post how I thought Luol Deng was our MVP Sunday night. Not only did he play well offensively, but he did a wonderful job defensively on Lebron. It wasn’t just Lebron, though. We did a great job with our team defense. Our bigs were unbelievable. We kept switching on pick and rolls and Noah and Gibson did an amazing job of keeping those guys out of the paint. I even saw Asik do it once, forcing Lebron into a 3-point attempt. Granted, he made the shot, but that’s the shot that we want Lebron taking. We’ll see what, if any, adjustments Miami makes offensively to try and improve in this area.

Stat of the Day:

The Bulls outscored the Heat 31-8 on second-chance points in Game 1

Probable Miami Starters:

G – Mike Bibby, 3.5 PPG

G – D’Wayne Wade, 25.5 PPG

F – Lebron James, 25.1 PPG

F – Chris Bosh, 17.5 PPG

C – Joel Anthony, 3.8 PPG

Probable Chicago Starters:

G – Derrick Rose, 28.8 PPG

G – Keith Bogans, 5.2 PPG

F – Luol Deng, 17.1 PPG

F – Carlos Boozer, 12.0 PPG

C – Joakim Noah, 9.8 PPG

Prediction:

Current Line: Chicago (-2), Over/Under 181

I hate Steve Stone’s guts but one thing he says that I absolutely agree with is “you’re never as good as look when you’re winning, and you’re never as bad as you look when you’re losing.” We need to keep that in mind when looking at Game 1. It was just about the perfect game for us, but don’t go crazy Bulls fans. Miami is going to play better than they did on Sunday night. I can’t imagine we will shut down Lebron and Wade the way that we did in Game One. I still like us to win the series Bulls fans, but it’s not going to be easy. This is going to be a series. Hope I’m wrong about tomorrow night.

I owe Luol Deng an apology. I was not a fan of Luol prior to this season. In fact, if we’re being honest, I disliked Luol Deng. I called him “soft” on multiple occasions, and I believed it. I thought he was another overpaid player like Ben Gordon and Eddie Robinson. I thought all he wanted to do was hang out in the corner and let someone else do all the work of driving, drawing in the defense, and kicking out to him for a 3-point shot. I always saw potential in his ability to slash to the lane and wanted him to do it more often.

All of that has changed this season. Luol Deng has won me over. It was a slow process at first. When he started fast I was hesitant to give him too much credit. Hell, even at the end of the regular season I think I gave him a B+ grade. I was wrong. Clearly he has deserved an A. He was our player of the game last night and that has been the case several times this season.

He has been so huge for us this season. He has hit several big shots. He hasn’t relied too heavily on the 3-point shot like I thought he had done earlier in his career (only 29% of his shots this season have been 3-point attempts.) He has done a great job with his shot selection. When the 3 is there, he takes it, but he’s not afraid to put his head down and attack the rim either. He has shed the soft label in my eyes too. He sticks his nose in there and grabs about 6 rebounds again, he guards each team’s best scorer on a nightly basis and does a great job of it, he fired up the crowd late in Game 1 against Indiana which perhaps ignited the huge comeback, and he came back from a vicious elbow to the back of the head in Game 3 against Indiana like it was no big deal. He’s not soft.

Also, he never comes out of the game. He average 39 minutes per game this year, leading the team. In years past he seemed injury prone, and I was waiting for it this year, but it hasn’t happened. When we finally got Boozer and Noah back and healthy, I was convinced it would be Luol’s turn to miss some games. But it hasn’t happened. He has stayed healthy all season long, playing hard every night and playing just about the entire game night after night. The statistics have been good (17.4 PPG, 46% FG, 5.80 RPG) but they don’t tell the whole story. His defense has been absolutely huge and the fact that he has shown up every night has been even bigger. He was amazing last night, and we’re going to need more of that if we’re going to win the series. Keep it going, Luol!

The Bulls take a 1-0 lead in the Eastern Conference Finals with a convincing 103-82 win over the Miami Heat tonight. Derrick Rose led the bulls with 28 points, but it was the role players who told the story.

Taj Gibson had 9 points and 7 boards in 23 minutes, and gave the Bulls a spark off the bench. Luol Deng, my player of the game, had 21, and held LeBron to 15 points on 5-15 shooting.

Taj had the two plays of the game, and some of the best plays I've seen all year. The dunks were huge, as was the block on LeBron.

But allow me to go into a rant about the World Wide Leader in Sports - ESPN.

All goddamn year, they did not give the Bulls a chance to win the title. 62 wins later, nothing changed. "Oh, they're a one man show," one headline read. "Big 3 vs. 1" was an ESPN headline today.

Well ESPN, there is your fucking receipt. Derrick had a quiet 28 tonight, as quiet as 28 can be I suppose. Second chance points and bench scoring were the difference. So, it really wasn't the 3 on 1 that you predicted, was it?

The Bulls lock EVERYONE down on defense. The Bulls outrebound EVERYONE on both ends of the floor. Oh, and they have the MVP to do all of the rest.

Normally, I would ask for respect from opposing fans and media, but I really don't give a shit. The Bulls have been the underdog all season.

When everyone else is taking imaginary pictures of LeBron and celebrating a semi-final series win, the Bulls are getting better.

Take your dancing and your theatrics and go home, LeBron. How can anyone cheer for that asshole?

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